SmartOwner – Connecting Investors And Developers

There is no getting around the fact that the real estate business requires cash. Though not always a whole lot of your own cash – other people’s money and borrowed money works just as well! What matters, ultimately, is the cost of capital and the terms and conditions on which the money is procured.

There is also no getting around the fact that in the last few decades real estate has made many Indians a great deal of money, often more than their lifetime savings, perhaps even  lifetime earnings. This wealth building effect of real estate has really seeped into the Indian psyche, so much so that these days you find builders in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area urging people to pay a small EMI and secure the future of the next seven generations of their family! So, these days, there is a large number of people hoping to get onto the real estate ladder, and an equally large number looking to invest their surplus cash in more real estate.

To enjoy the maximum returns from Indian real estate, though, a person – aside from having surplus cash and/or the ability to raise cash – must develop a system to locate good investment opportunities. They must also have at hand the legal and bureaucratic expertise to check titles. Real estate titles are far from clear in most cases in India and its easy to find yourself in big trouble should you part with your money and discover that you overlooked a defect in the land title. Additionally, any investor must ensure that all permits are in place to start construction and all regulations are followed with to be able to take possession of a finished property that is compliant with all government norms, plus the capacity to manage properties and/or exit them as required.

Developing the capacity to do all of the above is a career in itself. This is an issue, as there are a whole lot of very professionally successful people in India who want no part of the hassle of becoming the ultimate expert in real estate matters, even as they yearn for real estate’s returns. Additionally, there are NRIs who simply can’t spare the time to be on location, check-up on multiple properties and finalize purchases in the limited time they spend in India.

SmartOwner, that claims to be India’s largest property marketplace, offers real estate investments at deeply discounted rates, minimizing risk and pain of investing in Indian real estate for the discerning investor. The company claims to put each project through a rigorous due diligence process that ensures all legal and government particulars are in order. By redefining what it means to be a buyer in a high-ticket-size transaction, SmartOwner claims to have been able to earn its clients an average of 22-24% IRR since being founded in 2012. SmartOwner claims it funds the top 1% of deals it examines, ensuring that each one combines safety and worthwhile returns. In this regard, the company doesn’t limit itself to a single asset class, and has funded developed plots, commercial real estate and residential high-rises.

SmartOwner is definitely an ambitious project. Well worth following to see how they like other start-ups in the real-estate business bring about changes in how things have always been in the real-estate business in India.